Wellington Phoenix came from behind to emphatically thrash Perth Glory 4-1 at Westpac Stadium on September 30, delighting the 10,127 locals who were on hand to witness their team's maiden home victory in the Hyundai A-League. The Western Australians face the second longest trip home in domestic football following this match, and the manner in which they lost won't aid their mood - if they're honest, they'll know the scoreline flattered them a wee bit. Playing the bulk of the second half with ten men didn't aid their cause either. The 54th minute dismissal of defender Dino Djulbic, for two bookable offences - encroaching and shirt-pulling - saw him cop both yellow cards in a seven-minute spell just after half-time. But the Phoenix were already well on top by this stage of proceedings, as they made the most of the prevailing swirling northerly Wellington wind - the team's thirteenth man, given the Yellow Fever crew have already cornered the market in the twelfth man stakes! The home team dominated the first ten minutes, penning Perth back inside their own half for the bulk of it. Indeed, had Karl Dodd narrowly failed to get on the end of a goalbound Felice Campos free-kick, they would have grabbed a fifth minute lead. As it was, Tommy Tomich required two bites of the cherry to keep out the set-piece. Perth's first attack came in the tenth minute, and saw them take the lead completely against the run of play. Jordan Simpson was given the run of midfield, and upon spotting a darting run through the inside right channel by Billy Celeski, he played a slide-rule pass into his team-mate's path. Wellington players were already beginning their inquests as Celeski slipped the ball through the legs of the advancing Glen Moss and into the far corner of the net, and for a few moments at least, the Yellow Fever were stunned into silence. They were soon at full volume again, however, for after Campos had sent a twenty-five yard free-kick fizzing over the bar, Wellington were on level terms just three minutes after going behind. Daniel's superb corner arced deep into the heart of Perth's goal area, and Ross Aloisi, who had positioned himself in front of Tomich, gleefully swept the ball home from close-range - a captain's knock which really get the crowd buzzing. Perth came storming back, and but for the combined efforts of Dodd and Moss, returning native Leo Bertos would have scored against his hometown club, upon receipt of a pass from Naum Sekulovski, who himself fired a dipping twenty-yarder just over the bar following the resulting corner. The visitors enjoyed the better of proceedings over the next fifteen minutes or so, despite losing their footing with great frequency, but despite having taken five games simply to score their first goal of the season, and ten minutes of this match to net their second, their play was sorely lacking in creative terms - little wonder the cheeky chant of "Same old Glory, always boring!!" enjoyed a rendition during this spell. Wellington managed to wrestle back the advantage, ignited initially by Daniel's twenty-five yarder on the half-hour mark, which careered over the crossbar. The Brazilian's impact was far more significant eleven minutes later, however, as the home team hit the lead. Daniel found himself dashing down the right, with Vaughan Coveny and Shane Smeltz steaming up in support, making near and far post runs respectively. The veteran striker was picked out by the cross, and Coveny swivelled on the ball before prodding it across for Smeltz to smash home from six yards - 2-1 Phoenix. That really got the fans going, and the sight of Smeltz dashing clear again just two minutes later, after Coveny had charged down a Simon Colosimo clearance, had them anticipating a third goal before the break. A despairing lunge from Jamie Coyne prevented it, however, the defender diverting

Smeltz's shot into the sidenetting. The second half began with Wellington again in the ascendancy, Richard Johnson sent Coveny racing through between Colosimo and Djulbic, who made their opponent the meat in a Perth sandwich just outside the penalty area. Campos' twice-taken free-kick - the re-take required due to Djulbic's encroachment on the first attempt - was thwarted by the visitors' defensive wall on both occasions. Another Campos free-kick five minutes later was pawed out well low at his near post by Tomic, but the 'keeper was beaten all ends up in the 56th minute, as Wellington exploited the gaping hole in Perth's defence which materialised following the dismissal of Djulbic. His shirt-pulling antics prompted a collision between Daniel and Campos, but were undertaken right under the nose of referee Peter Green, who got this decision - but not all in this game - spot-on. With Perth reeling from this setback, Wellington capitalised. A super raid down the left featured Campos, Daniel and the overlapping Tony Lochhead saw the fullback fire in a perfectly flighted cross to the near post, where Coveny was arriving at pace. His lunge caught Perth's beleaguered rearguard napping, and the net bulged to the delight of the local faithful, many of whom were now sans shirt despite the chilly conditions. There was no way back for the visitors from this setback, and it quickly became an exercise in by how many goals Wellington would prevail. Numerous chances materialised, the first coming in the 65th minute. Coveny charged down a Tomich clearance, which saw Campos, Daniel, Smeltz and Lochhead all prominent in the ensuing approach play before Aloisi blazed wide of the target. Eight minutes later, Wellington's captain surged forward before rewarding the run of freshly introduced substitute Michael Ferrante outside him. He skipped past two challenges before hitting a cross, the deflection on which saw it arc perfectly into the stride of Smeltz. His first touch failed him badly, allowing Coyne to clear. Two minutes later, Smeltz had the chance to make amends. Charging in off the left flank, he rolled the ball into the path of Ferrante, who was racing forward in support. His first-time drive curled agonisingly past the far post. Seven minutes from time, the fourth goal Wellington had long threatened finally materialised. Daniel's corner was cleared to the edge of the penalty area, where another substitute, Tim Brown, was lurking. He played the ball back to his team-mate, who picked up his fourth booking of the season in this match, and will miss Wellington's next game. As if to make amends, Daniel delivered an absolute gem of a cross which had Perth's defence in all sorts of bother, but was an invitation to score for anybody clad in black. Lochhead duly obliged - 4-1. A tame effort from George Paladini was saved by Tomich at his near post in stoppage time, but Wellington were well happy despite this miss, the size of this, the biggest  victory in the Hyundai A-League so far this season, having got the league's leading goalscorers back on an even keel, particularly where goal difference is concerned. Perth, however, have problems aplenty to contend with, not the least of which is their inability to create goalscoring opportunities. Two goals scored in nine hours of football is a decidedly poor return for a club which, not that long ago, boasted in Damian Mori and Bobby Despotovski the most prolific goalscoring partnership in top-flight Australian football. How times have changed! Wellington:     Moss; Christie, O'Dor, Dodd, Lochhead; Smeltz, Aloisi, Johnson (booked, 62) (Paladini, 86)), Daniel (booked, 64); Campos (Ferrante, 71), Coveny (Brown, 76 (booked, 84)) Perth:          Tomich; Coyne, Colosimo, Djulbic (booked, 47, 54 - sent off), Topor-Stanley; Celeski (Prentice, 78), J. Simpson, Sekulovski; Robinson (Rukavytsya, 62), Dragicevic (T. Simpson, 60), Bertos Referee:     Peter Green